1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to air circulating fans wherein the fan components are shipped disassembled and require assembly prior to use.
2. Description of the Related Art
Air circulating fans, particularly of the larger size, are bulky to ship. Such fans include an electric motor, a blade which is to be mounted upon the motor drive shaft, a blade guard, and a fan support which may constitute a column having a base if the fan is to be floor supported, or the support may comprise a bracket for attachment to ceiling or wall structure.
It is normally necessary to ship the fan components in a knockdown or disassembled condition in order to meet the package size requirements of shippers, for instance United Parcel Service, and the shipping of disassembled fan components is common and single carton packages have been developed as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,698.
The customer receiving the fan in the disassembled condition is provided with instructions for assembling the various components, and such assembly normally requires wrenches and screwdrivers of several sizes for tightening nuts and screws. Accordingly, the recipient of a disassembled fan is required to have access to the various tools necessary to assemble the fan components.
It is an object of the invention to provide an air circulating fan which is shipped in a knockdown condition, the various major components being disassembled, wherein such major components may be operably assembled to each other without requiring tools, assembly being accomplished only by use of the hands and fingers.
A further object of the invention is to provide an air circulating fan wherein the components thereof are shipped in a disassembled manner and wherein the components can be assembled by hand requiring no tools, and wherein critical hand assembly of support components are effectively locked to prevent loosening due to operational vibration.
An air circulating fan using the concepts of the invention may be of the commercial type such as used in factories, barns, and in large spaces wherein significant air circulation is required. However, the concepts can be used with any size of fan wherein the components are shipped in a knockdown or disassembled manner to minimize the dimensions of shipping cartons.
Basically, air circulating fans of the blade type include an electric motor having a drive shaft on which the blade or propeller is mounted. A blade guard surrounds the blade for safety purposes. The electric motor is mounted on either a floor supported column, or upon a support bracket which is attached to ceiling or wall structure. Also, it is common to attach the electric motor to its support structure in such a manner as to permit an angular adjustment between the motor and support in order to direct the air stream most effectively.
The front end of the motor housing, the end from which the motor drive shaft extends, is provided with threaded studs extending parallel to the drive shaft. The blade guard is usually of two parts, the rear part attaching to the motor housing, while the front part hinges to the rear guard portion, the blade or propeller being located between the grill front and rear portions.
In the practice of the invention, thumb nuts are used to mount the guard rear portion upon the threaded studs extending from the motor. In this manner, by firmly finger tightening the thumb nuts, the grill rear portion is firmly attached to the fan motor. The grill front portion is usually hinged to the grill rear portion so as to permit the grill front portion to be opened relative to the rear portion providing access to the blade or propeller for blade installation or blade cleaning purposes.
The blade mounts upon the electric motor drive shaft, and the blade is mounted on the drive shaft by a left handed threaded wing nut or thumb nut. In this manner, the blade can be mounted upon the motor drive shaft without the use of tools.
The front grill portion is hinged to the rear grill, and the hinge components which lock the grill portions together are all operable by hand requiring no tools.
The electric motor housing is either floor supported or attached to the ceiling or a wall. If floor mounted, the electric motor will be mounted upon a column having a base, and the column may consist of telescoping portions which are fastened together by wing nuts. If the electric motor is mounted on the ceiling or wall, the motor support bracket is attached to the support structure by U-bolts having hand operated nuts, and a safety connector interposed between the U-bolt nuts prevents the nuts from turning due to operational vibration.
The electric motor is mounted to its support structure by a pivot bolt wherein the angular relationship of the motor to its support can be adjusted. A pin mounted upon the bolt extends through holes defined in the support structure and on the electric motor mounting ear wherein upon alignment of such holes, a pin mounted on the bolt extends therethrough to positively maintain the desired angular relationship of the motor housing to its support.
As all of the disassembled fan components are assembled by wing nuts, thumb nuts or finger operated connectors, all of the components may be assembled in a firm proper manner without the use of tools, simplifying assembly, and eliminating the need for special assembly equipment.